Brave
by Jessika Organa Solo
Summary: Have you ever known a Gryffindor NOT to interfere? Love, Romance, Stubbornness, and more.
1. The Cup

A quill moved slowly across a piece of parchment, recording the date.

_September 17th_

The hand with slender fingers paused for a few seconds before continuing…

_Where are you this moment?  
Only in my dreams.  
You're missing, but you're always  
A heartbeat from me.  
I'm lost now without you,  
I don't know where you are.  
I keep watching, I keep hoping,  
But time keeps us apart_

Is there a way I can find you,  
Is there a sign I should know,  
Is there a road I could follow  
To bring you back home?

A single tear drop fell on the parchment as the slender fingers brushed away the remaining tears before they fell.

A clock chimed twelve times, and the hand left the quill on the parchment. Holding her wand between her fingers, she touched her hair, sending a wave of blonde down her back. Her sources had told her that he would be traveling to Godric's Hollow again tonight, but this time he would be alone. The Dark Lord knew of this, and he was pleased to have another opportunity to destroy the Potter boy. Secret protection was needed again.

Just after apperating to the ruins of the Potter house, still as tragic as ever, she heard another pop. Turning to her left, she nodded. The mousy brown hair of her companion stuck out from the sides of the hood that she was wearing, but did not give away her identity. "Same plan?" the blonde whispered, withdrawing her wand from her pocket. "Same," the other breathed, ducking behind a bush as movement was seen up ahead. They pulled their masks down, hiding their familiar faces, and waited for any sign of Death Eaters. The Potter boy could be seen disappearing underneath his father's cloak, as they both had seen him do many times before. This would make him difficult to follow, but there would be no need to track him tonight. Remus had told them all that they needed to know.

So far, three Horcruxes had been destroyed; the diary, the ring, and the locket, which was found on the shelves of number 12 Gimmauld place. RAB had been Regalus Black, as Hermione had discovered after a particularly long night of talking with Ron at the Burrow. In her drowsy haze, she had begun to go through all of the RABs that she knew, her night time ritual. She had decided to play a variation of the game, starting with all of the last names beginning with B that could have been involved with Voldemort. Around 3 am, she had come to Regalus Black. Horcrux number three had been discovered and destroyed the following morning after a very loud discussion with Kreacher.

"There, behind the trees," the blonde whispered. The brunette nodded and raised her wand. The two performed identical movements, invoking ancient magic that would draw power from the remains of the Potter house. The Death Eaters paused, looking around as if lost. The enchantment would only last an hour at best due to the state of the Potter house, but the girls hoped that it would be enough to discourage the Death Eaters from looking any longer.

Minutes passed as the fall air chilled the blonde and her companion. Creating a fire for warmth, even a small one, would attract the Death Eaters, who were very near by, searching for the remains of the Potter house. The enchantment was similar to the Fidelius charm, but required two casters, both female. It had first been performed by Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw to protect Hogwarts Castle until the power of all four of the founders could be brought together to perform stronger magic. However, Hogwarts Castle was intact and contained more ancient magic than the Potter house. But still, the charm was effective at inducing confusion and frustration among anyone looking for it. The Potter boy had already been inside the ruins of the Potter house at the time, so he was protected from the effects of the enchantment.

The leader of the group of Death Eaters held up a hand, signaling the others that it was time to go. "Severus, your source was inaccurate, the Dark Lord will be most displeased" a voice sneered. They disapperated with several pops, and all was quiet.

Several minutes later, Harry appeared from within the ruins of the house, his head the only part visible from underneath the cloak. His hand emerged from the cloak, and he was clutching a cup. Setting the cup on the ground, he performed a complex movement with his now exposed wand hand, and the cup burst into flames. Suppressing a gasp, the blonde bit her lip, looking over at the brunette. "That leaves only two," she whispered, barely audible over the wind. When there were no more traces of the cup, Harry stood and turned on the spot, disapperating.

"Where does he go, Tonks?" the blonde asked sadly. The brunette shook her head, "We believe Ron and Hermione know, but they won't tell. We think that one of them is the secret keeper for his whereabouts. They both stood, shaking hands. "Until next time," the blonde whispered. They disapperated.

To be continued…


	2. Stubborn

He flipped open the notebook and dipped his quill in the ink. One day, when this was all over, he'd be able to show her that he had never stopped thinking about her.

_September 17th_

_How strong, how brave, how true of you  
To bear the hurt I gave.  
I know it tears your heart in two:  
All I've said, all I say to you._

Again, he had ventured out of his hiding place tonight to find Horcrux number 4, the cup. After destroying it with a charm found by Hermione, he should have felt the slightest bit of joy, but emptiness again filled his heart. His mother was gone, his father, Sirius, Dumbledore… and now, the only girl he had ever loved was essentially gone, too. He had long since hidden the pictures and her letters, the ones that he had never answered. He couldn't stand to think that there was a chance that he would die without talking to her again, but it was a chance that he felt he must take. To protect her.

Hermione, however, was strongly opposed to his decision to cut off Ginny. Almost daily, she posted clippings from books on his door, attempting to prove to him that love was indeed stronger than Dark Magic. He wanted to believe her, but he just couldn't take that chance. It wasn't a Quidditch match or a game of chess, this was someone's life, and he wasn't going to take a chance on losing. Ron did not voice his opinion. No doubt he was torn, like Harry, but his new relationship with Hermione did provide him with some new insight on love. "I don't know how you do it, mate, just block yourself off like that. I think I would be going crazy," Ron had commented, one Sunday afternoon at Grimmauld place. "And you think I'm not?" Harry spat, quickly leaving the room.

But he continued on, avoiding Ron and Hermione's help when he could. In the end, it would be his job to defeat Voldemort, not anyone else's. And on lonely nights like these, that thought was the one thought that was able to stop him from sending a letter to Ginny, telling her that he was coming home. He wondered what she was doing… how she was spending her time now that Hogwarts was closed. No doubt she, Mrs. Weasley, and Fleur were spending a lot of time in the house, worrying about Bill, Fred, George, Charlie, Percy, Ron, Hermione, and Mr. Weasley. Fleur and Bill had moved back into the Burrow after the wedding on the insistence of Mrs. Weasley. Harry knew that Mrs. Weasley couldn't stand to have anyone out of her sight as long as Voldemort was still around.

Extinguishing the candle beside his bed, Harry rolled over and pulled the covers up under his chin. He couldn't say which was worse… nights at the Dursleys' or nights in hiding.


	3. The Shield

_November 21st_

_I know that you would not be happy to see what I am doing,_

_But have you ever known a Gryffindor NOT to interfere?_

Again, the same blonde hair disappeared under the dark green cloak. She extinguished the candle with a snap and disapperated. Two companions were awaiting her this time, both with dark green cloaks and dark green masks pulled over their very familiar faces. "Good to see you," the blonde whispered to the two. "And you," a man whispered, grasping her shoulder in a strengthening gesture. The dark woman's hand held her wand at her side, ready to strike. "We hear he's found something of Ravenclaw's… a shield," she said, leaning nearer to the blonde. "Any news from the source?" the blonde asked, looking to the man. "They are planning to kidnap several members of the Wizangamot tonight… he has called all of the Death Eaters into action tonight. They will be visiting three locations. There is no knowledge of this raid of the Ministry," he whispered, looking around for signs of the Potter boy.

"Will they not notice that he has destroyed the shield?" the blonde asked as they watched the visitor's entrance from across the street. "It is in storage, in a room near the Department of Mysteries. It has not been displayed for at least 100 years. How Voldemort discovered it is a mystery to me, but I know that Harry has recently been given a journal of Dumbledore's. Flitwick found it in Dumbledore's personal possessions. It was locked, but opened immediately when Harry touched it. We think it contains information on the remaining Horcruxes. Dumbledore knew Harry would find the journal one way or another," the woman answered.

Potter appeared with a pop and quickly stepped into the phone booth, grabbed his name tag, and proceeded into the Ministry. The three masked protectors followed, allowing him enough time to make it down to the bowels of the Ministry.

In contrast to what everyone knew would await Potter's destruction of the final Horcrux, Nagini, he destroyed the shield in a matter of minutes after confirming that it was indeed a Horcrux. Dumbledore had left him specific instructions on the detection and destruction of the remaining Horcruxes. The trio had to hide quickly as Potter walked from the storage room, smoke following him from the room. He swung his invisibility cloak around him and disappeared, but his footsteps could be heard as he ran to the elevator to exit the building. The blonde, the man, and the dark woman waited in eerie silence as they allowed enough time for Potter to exit the Ministry.

After exiting the Ministry, the trio stood on the sidewalk near the phone booth. "I'll contact you when we have word that he is going after Nagini. It is the general consensus that when he goes for Nagini, he is also going to have to attempt to destroy Voldemort at that time. She is rarely out of his presence, so we think that once he destroys her, he will have to face Voldemort," the dark woman said, looking at the man, who nodded in agreement. The blonde squeezed both of their hands. "Then we will need to have everyone with us," she said, before disapperating.

Picking up the quill before retiring to bed, she wrote:

_We're nearing the end of this._


	4. The sky may fall

_January 8th_

_This new year has begun, but may end for me as quickly as it started._

_Tonight may very well be my last night here on earth, and I'm not going to waste it._

_Even from a child  
A wish is not enough  
For me, for me the sky may fall  
And even from a child  
A dream is not enough  
Could be, could be the sky may fall  
Could be, could be the night ends all_

After hours of convincing by Ron and Hermione, Harry was secretly going to travel to the Burrow for what could be his last visit with Ginny. On January 9th, he would attempt to destroy Nagini, the last remaining Horcrux. He would have to enter into Voldemort's hiding place, a location that would be revealed to him just before his departure. Snape had been successful in becoming the secret keeper for the location of the meeting place for the Death Eaters. A meeting would occur on the evening of the 9th, so Harry was up against serious opposition. Hermione and Ron would be accompanying him, along with the members of the Order. It was the day for which he had been preparing since he heard the prophecy.

There were so many things he had to say to her… he wasn't sure he was going to be able to say it all, but he was going to try.

Hermione had arranged the meeting with Ginny, telling her that she and Ron needed to discuss something with her, and to be in her room at midnight. She had only meant to rest her eyes for a few minutes before they arrived, but Ginny had fallen asleep and was breathing softly when Harry apperated into her bedroom. He almost couldn't stand to wake her, but sensing someone in the room, she stirred, rolling over. The shock of seeing this dark haired young man in her room brought tears to her eyes, and she choked back a sob, covering her mouth with her hand. Tears filled his own eyes as he stood still, watching her from across the room.

After a couple of minutes, he was able to whisper, "I had to see you… tonight may be the last time we see each other." More tears filled their eyes as he made his way across the room to join her on the bed. "But I want you to know, that if, after everything is over, I am still alive, I want to marry you," he said, slipping his hand into his pocket. Her silence dissolved into silent sobs, her shoulders shaking slightly as he pulled a ring from his pocket. A sparkling princess cut diamond sat atop a platinum band, surrounded by two smaller princess cut emeralds. "It was my mother's. Sirius had saved their rings for me in his vault. And you're the only person in this world who deserves to wear my mother's ring." Tears filled his eyes again as he slipped the ring on her slender finger, his hands shaking. She fell against him, sobbing into his chest as he held her. "There hasn't been a moment since the funeral that I haven't thought of you. I don't know if you understand why we can't be together right now, but I can't put you at risk. You're the only one I have left… I can't lose you too," he whispered, his face buried in her long, red hair.

In the morning, she knew he would be gone, and he was. However, on her desk lay a journal. She opened the cover to the first page, finding a note in Harry's slightly untidy scrawl. But to her, it was the most beautiful writing she had ever seen.

_To my wife, may these words bring you happiness in this time of despair._


	5. Avarda Kedavra

_January 9th_

_They say that a hero could save us,_

_I'm not gonna stand here and wait._

Tucked neatly under the hood of the cloak was the long blonde hair of Harry Potter's guardian. The wand was clutched tightly between her slender and now white knuckled fingers. "Colloportus," she whispered, sealing the door to her room to prevent anyone from entering and finding her gone. With a swish of her midnight blue cloak, she disapperated.

Another blonde was awaiting her arrival near the ancient gate of Hogwarts. "Bill ez on 'is way to ze headquarters," the taller blonde whispered, her French accent having faded significantly due to her time at Gringotts.

The brunette appeared again, her hair its usual pink until she screwed up her face, changing the color of her hair back to brown for the time being. "The Order meets in twenty minutes. They expect me there, so I will not be able to stay with you," she whispered, looking at the two blondes.

"We can use these. I borrowed them from Luna. She still had hers and Neville's." The smaller blonde said, handing the DA coin to Tonks, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"A Proteus charm, correct?" she asked. They all nodded.

A few minutes later, the dark woman appeared, greeting the others with a grim smile. "Fred and George are already at the headquarters of the Order. I had an owl from Fred just before I left home. Harry has locked himself in Sirius's old room, preparing. They don't know what he's doing; he won't come out and he won't let anyone in except Ron and Hermione." The smaller blonde's hand twitched, but no one spoke. There was no need. Everyone knew that tonight would decide the fate of the wizarding world. They also knew that it could be Harry's last night on earth. Or theirs.

The clock at Hogwarts chimed nine times as Tonks disapperated. The hooded trio looked around at each other, waiting for the signal from Tonks that the battle had begun. She had left them with the slip of paper Snape had given to her, telling the location of the Death Eaters' meeting. Several others in the Order also had the location on slips of paper, so Tonks would be able to pretend that she had lost hers, which was entirely characteristic of her. Their plan was simple: Protect Harry at all costs. They would attempt to remain hidden, which would allow them to cast charms at the Death Eaters attacking Harry so that he would be able to concentrate on defeating the Dark Lord once Nagini had been destroyed.

Thirty agonizing minutes passed before the DA coin grew warm in the hand of the dark woman. The date and time changed to all zeros, indicating that the time was now. They all shared what could be the final seconds of their lives and then looked down at the slip of paper, instantly disapperating to the location of the meeting.

All was quite outside the abandoned house. "Where are you, Harry?" The dark woman whispered, her wand at the ready. They ducked behind a large bush as they heard the hurried footsteps of a Death Eater. The smaller blonde flicked her wand silently and the Death Eater froze in his tracks, falling over to the ground, petrified.

"Et is 'erminone!" The taller blonde whispered, pointing further down the gravel road that ran in front of the house.

Hermione, followed by Ron, sprinted up the road and stopped dead when they saw the petrified Death Eater. "But… everyone is back in the orchard…" Ron stammered, looking at Hermione for an answer.

She looked around, her eyes stopping on the bush that hid the trio, but she said nothing and turned back to Ron. "We'll need to get back to the group… let them know that the Voldemort is still unaware that we are here," she whispered, barely loud enough for the trio in the bush to hear.

"Fleur," the smaller blonde said to her blonde companion, "follow them and meet up with the Order. Stay hidden, but follow them back up here. Angelina and I will stay here and wait for any sign of action at the house." They all nodded and the taller blonde took off at a tip toed run.

As they watched Fleur's shadow slip away, rain began to fall on the dark woman and the blonde. Light drops fell, causing a rustling in the trees behind them. The sound of footsteps returned, disguised slightly by the rain. Angelina's breath caught in her throat as she saw George helping a bleeding Fred up the path. "Set him down here," Hermione whispered, pulling out her wand as the others stood guard around her. A disheveled Harry and Ron crept around the house to find the most silent entrance to the house so that they could make it into the house and hopefully upstairs to the meeting room without being noticed. Hermione healed Fred's wounds with a few flicks from her wand and a couple of drops of a pearly liquid from a vial. Apparently they had come prepared for snake bites. Nagini had bitten Mr. Weasley several years previous, and he nearly bled to death before anyone could figure out how to heal his wounds.

Fleur rejoined the trio, sneaking up so silently that the remaining two jumped in surprise. "I 'eard zem talking," she whispered, "They took Felix Felicis before they came."

Angelina smiled happily but the smaller blonde said, "Felix can only help so much. It won't stop you from dying if you get hit with the killing curse." The trio remained silent as the Order regrouped and staged themselves outside the house. Ron and Harry returned, motioning everyone to move to the back side of the house. The trio snuck out from behind the bush slowly, taking care to hide behind trees and other bushes as they too made their way to the back of the house.

And almost as soon as it started, it was almost over. The Order had stormed the house in such large numbers that the Death Eaters were overwhelmed, and most of them were restrained; however, several of the fiercest and most skilled Death Eaters were still fighting, protecting Voldemort, who remained in his throne, laughing at the spectacle in front of him as if it were a highly choreographed play. Harry had not entered the room at the insistence of the members of the Order. They could not afford to have him injured before the final showdown with Voldemort. The trio had not yet managed to enter the house and were hiding behind several trees behind the house.

Becoming bored with the show in front of him, Voldemort snapped his fingers, causing the entire group of Death Eaters, members of the Order, and Harry to appear with a pop in the side yard of the house. In another time, another circumstance, this could have been a game of American Muggle Football. However, when the disorientation passed, it was clear that the Order no longer had the situation under control. Most of the Death Eaters were now free from their restraints, and were ready to attack the first person who moved.

"Ah, dear Harry Potter. We meet again. My how you have grown in the past year! And you've brought your foolish friends from the Order. Who is your leader now that Dumbledore is gone? The Werewolf? He's the last of your dear parents' friends, isn't he? Such a pity to die young. I wouldn't know," Voldemort taunted, raising his wand, "Who will be first to fall?" He made a silent gesture to his followers, who instantly began firing red jets of light at the Order.

The Order converged in front of Harry, protecting him with their bodies while trying to allow him to move closer to Voldemort. The trio, hiding behind trees, shot curses at the Death Eaters when they thought the others weren't looking. They did what they could to protect the members of the Order, but they were there for the sole purpose of protecting Harry. Eventually, Voldemort and Harry broke free of the group to duel. The three knew it was important to let Harry be the one to kill Voldemort, as that was the prophecy. The smaller blonde found it hard to stick to the plan while they watched Voldemort torture Harry with curse after curse, some hitting their mark, including a nasty round of the Cruciatis curse.

Harry fell to the ground, now unable to move and most likely unconscious from the pain. The hidden trio watched in horror as Voldemort advanced on Harry, who was unprotected; all of the members of the Order were occupied, injured, or stunned. Voldemort raised his wand, laughing.

"I can't take this!" the small blonde yelled, bursting from her hiding place.

"Ginny, no!" Angelina screamed, causing heads to turn.

Time seemed to slow to a stop as the blonde ran to Harry, who lay limply on the wet earth. "I won't let you!" she screamed to Voldemort, grabbing Harry's right arm, which was still holding his wand. She pointed her own wand at Voldemort, who was shocked enough to have paused just long enough for her to scream the curse.

"Avarda Kedavra!" she bellowed, using all of the air in her lungs.

_To be continued…_


	6. The Power the Dark Lord Knows Not

A pulsating green beam shot from Harry's wand and connected to Voldemort's body, remaining for several seconds. The shocked look faded from Voldemort's face as his body disintegrated into ashes. The members of the Order continued to fight the Death Eaters for a few seconds longer until someone screamed, "Who is that person? The one who has Harry!"

At that time, Lucius Malfoy happened to look down at his arm, still not having noticed that his Master was now a pile of ash. "The mark… my mark! It's gone!" he exclaimed, a collective gasp going up over the group. Several more Death Eaters pulled back their sleeves to check their own Dark Marks. The groups were frozen in the wet grass, too shocked to move.

"I never thought about what it would be like when it was over," Angelina whispered to Fleur as they both edged around the bush to come out into the open.

Ron hadn't forgotten that a strange, masked woman was holding on to Harry's arm, wands raised and still pointed at the spot where Voldemort had been standing. "Who are you? Show yourself!" he demanded, making his way over to the pair, taking care to give the pile of ashes a wide berth. The blonde seemed to have snapped out of a trance and looked over at Ron, lowering Harry's arm to the ground and whispering "Enervate" to save herself from having to explain the story twice.

The Order's members made their way over to the ash pile as the Death Eaters began to disapperate. Tonks and Remus were attempting to capture several of the Death Eaters, but they only managed to capture one, who surrendered willingly. Harry groaned and sat up, looking around at everyone who was now gathered in a circle around him. Ron, however, was not looking at him, so Harry followed Ron's eyes to the masked woman who was standing next to him, her wand at her side.

"Reveal yourself, or I will have to incarcerate you!" Ron said, pointing his wand at her. Harry quickly glanced over the person, his eyes stopping on her hands. He could tell it was a younger woman by her petite hands, but as he glanced up at her fingers, he noticed something and drew in a sharp breath. The masked woman looked down at him, her eyes meeting his behind the mask.

"What are you doing here?" he croaked, tears springing to his eyes.

"You know who she is?" Ron demanded, his eyes turning to Harry.

Harry's eyes never left the woman as she pulled off her hood, her long blonde hair cascading down her back. This, of course, confused everyone. They didn't know any blondes besides Fleur, and they all thought she was back at The Burrow, waiting for everyone to arrive home. But when the blonde slid off her mask, they all gasped.

"Ginny?" Hermione whispered, stepping forward just slightly. The blonde nodded and then touched her want to her head, a wave of Weasley red replacing the shocking blonde.

The group continued to stand silently as they tried to figure out what had just happened. "So… who killed You-Know-Who?" George finally said, frowning in thought.

"Harry did," Ginny said, looking back down at Harry, "I just said the incantation."

"'The power the Dark Lord knows not…'" Hermione whispered, quoting the prophecy and glancing smugly at Harry as if to say, "I told you so."

After a few more moments of silence, Ron helped Harry to his feet and said, "How did you know it was her?"

Harry smiled and reached out for Ginny's left hand. "Because she's wearing the engagement ring I gave to her last night… my mother's ring." The crowd talked happily after that, hugging Ginny and Harry, still careful not to walk near the ash pile.

Finally, Mr. Weasley looked over to the bushes, spotting the other two masked people. "Let me guess, they're with you?" he said, nudging Ginny.

Smiling, Ginny said, "Do you want to reveal yourselves, girls?" The other two pulled off their hoods and masks and were greeted with amused laughter and claps.

"This isn't the first night you've done this, is it?" Harry asked as the group began walking back to the woods to return to the portkey.

"If I say no, will you be mad?" Ginny asked, grinning widely. She hadn't stopped smiling since she had removed her mask, and now her cheeks were starting to ache. Harry simply laughed in response.

* * *

The group gathered at The Burrow for an impromptu celebration. As the world celebrated with them, Harry and Ginny clung to each other, Harry not taking his hands off Ginny, and her likewise. Giddiness filled the air in the kitchen as Molly cooked up scores of soups and breads and potatoes, all the while filling up everyone's glasses with large helpings of meade. The moment that made it all real for Molly was Mr. Weasley's presentation of the clock, all hands pointed to "Home."

The group sat around the table, discussing their plans now that they were free to do what they wished. "I think tomorrow, I'm going to go down to Diagon Alley and buy all the books I can find that have absolutely nothing to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione said happily, leaning back in her chair.

"No you aren't," Harry said, the group turning to look at him, "You can do that the day after tomorrow, because tomorrow, you're going to be at a wedding."

Molly's eyes filled with happy tears as Ron said, "But who is getting married tomorrow?"

"We are," Harry said, his arm still protectively wrapped around Ginny's shoulders.

**_THE END!_**

_I hope you all enjoyed that short story from me! You smart readers who guessed that Ginny was the blonde were correct!_


End file.
